Once Children
by GirlOfMyOwnWorld
Summary: Do you wonder what the ninja's lives were like when they were once children like we all were? Do you think you would've loved to see more than just Child's Play? Look no further- tis right here. (More info inside, heh- and this is a ONE-SHOT, by the way. A very long one. :) )


**GREAT TO MEETCHA, I AM GOMMIE AND WELCOME TO "ONCE CHILDREEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNN!"**

 **Okay, I'm not totally new to the fandom- I have written stories for Ninjago before, and it's been a while since I've even last published a chapter for anything Ninjago-related. To my MCSM readers, I know, I know, a little odd to see your GirlOfHerOwnWorld doing something a little different.**

 **Well, I happen to have a very good reason why.**

 **It's one of my greatest friends- Toni42- it was her birthday on 12/23. And this is my birthday gift to her! MCSM- you would know her as the author of Movie Mode. Ninjago- you would know her as the author of Empty Echoes. (I was one of those who helped her create that story.)**

 **Also, I do realize this is late, and I am so so sorry about that! My computer broke down and we had to celebrate Christmas with family coming into town and just- bleh.**

 **Once again, I am so so so so sososo sorry for this coming out later than it should be.**

 **Also, this is rated T for some scenes that aren't really for young children, so...**

 **This is actually just a one-shot I had the idea for in a while, but never got around to actually writing it. It's going to mainly be about the ninja's parent/s. If I get any information wrong- blame the wiki. It's also been a while since I've watched Ninjago (it's been more TWDG and TWD and Miraculous Ladybug lately), so I'm sincerely sorry for any mistakes! Also, some information is not shown in the wikia, I will either make up or just go with what I know.**

 **Anyways, er… without further ado…**

 **Here y'all go and enjoy the show!**

"Lou, come on, we can't hang around all day." A young woman with light brown hair spoke, her soothing voice meeting the ear of her boyfriend at last. "It's too cold for us to stay out long, and you know I don't like the cold."

"I'm coming, love. Just, let me try to memorize the date for this talent show. Maybe George, Jon, and Shay can join me in an a capella group for this thing… We could all move into one home with the money we win from this." Lou laughs a little, his eyes twinkling at the thought. Deanna sighs, glancing down at her stomach. She hasn't quite told him about her being pregnant… yet.

"Sounds like it could work." Deanna plastered a forced smile onto her face. If Lou was happy, then she was.

"This could be the rebound we've been looking for, love." Lou took both her hands, in attempts to warm her up a little as it was slightly his fault for keeping them in the cold, cold winter of Ninjago City. "We can start a family, you know."

"Well, if it hasn't already been started." Deanna muttered.

"What was that?" Deanna hesitated, pursing her lips. Should she tell him now?

"I'll- I'll tell you later. But for now, can we head back?"

"Of course. I'll start planning something out for that talent show- you can get some sleep. I know you'll need it."

It was about an hour later, and Lou was holding a sleeping Deanna curled in his arms and lap as he whispered to his friends. They all lived under a bridge, bundled in as many blankets as they have, an equal amount for each.

"You never really told us how you two became homeless." Jon began, looking at Lou. Lou raised an eyebrow, still processing the question when he realized what Jon wanted.

"Well, we were kinda half and half- we both ran away and got kicked out. We've been planning it for a while, actually, but our parents found out and they weren't too happy with us being together- a Brookestone and a Yuenya. So they kicked us out and our original plan went astray."

"Damn. That sucks." George muttered, sleepily tending to the fire with just a stick.

"It does, doesn't it?" Lou chuckles. "How about you all?"

"Ran away." Jon stated. "Parents were abusive and we didn't have much of any post so there wasn't a way I could mail for help."

"Disowned." George went. He was silent after that- the blacket must be pretty tired.

"Parents died and I absolutely hated the orphanage- they wouldn't let me go and I'm 19!" Shay (for Seamus) finished. "So I let myself go." he shrugs as if it were nothing. The blacket (yes, another one) was digging through the food bag for… something to eat.

"Wow. At least we got the hard parts over with. We could try the-"

"Lou, face it. We have as much a chance to win the money as does anyone else. Which isn't very high." George told him, tossing his stick into the fire. "I'm going to bed, guys. Good night."

"George-"

"Good night." The blacket spoke more firmly this time, and no one bothered to stop him as he turned around, got into his sleeping bag, and went to sleep.

"Uh… Lou?" Shay spoke. He had pulled something out of the bag, and was now holding it, but it was unrecognizable in the darkness, as Shay was a little aways from the fire. "I found something that may belong to Deanna, there."

"Can I see?"

"I doubt that."

"Please?" Shay sighs in defeat, placing the object into Lou's hand. It was thin, it was smooth, and it was a few different tints of pink. "What…?"

"Surprise, you're gonna be a dad!" Jon laughs a little, softly so he wouldn't wake George or Deanna.

"You both knew?"

"And George, too." Shay chuckles. "I was acting when I found it. She said for us to tell you when she was asleep because she was afraid of your reaction. I mean, here you are, sitting in the cold, completely homeless, not yet _married_ to your girlfriend-"

"Okay, okay, I get your point, Shay." Lou held a hand out to stop his friend from talking. "My question now, is… why would she keep it from me? How long, do you know?"

"That's two questions." Shay popped back in, before Jon hit his shoulder. "Hey!"

"She thinks she's been about two months through. She really hopes to be able to give birth in a hospital, successfully, of course." Jon answered Lou's question. "And like we said before- she was scared of what you would think. It's bad enough that you don't have a home- how are you going to raise a child through these cold winters?"

"Then we'll move somewhere down South."

"We won't make it past the desert. Forget that plan." Shay shook his head.

"That's all the more reason for us to do this talent show. It's next week- we could start performing on the streets to get used to the eyes on us. Just sitting out there won't do much good." Jon was already all with Lou on his plan. It was the closest they were going to get- and they needed a place to raise this baby. There was a moment of silence.

"You thinking of any baby names yet?"

"Cole." Lou spoke softly. "Or maybe Serafina, if it's a girl, that is."

The man knew he and his girlfriend would be happy, no matter what happened.

-/

"Ed, you have to give Jay a bath, you know!"

"I know, I know, hun! I'm getting there! He just won't stop running all over the darn place!" Ed stumbled over the coffee table, knocking it to the side before continuing on his little rampage after the one-year-old redheaded boy.

The Walker couple had been trying for a little boy or girl for a while, but they had eventually gave up and decided to adopt. They got a small boy, bundled in blue blankets. He wasn't a newborn, but he wasn't an infant either- he was more in the middle when he was adopted. That was exactly what Edna and Ed had asked for.

And here they were, with a very energetic little boy who just absolutely, all-out, _refused_ to get a bath.

"What is taking so long- oh my-!" A woman (who looked like she was in her late 30s) walked into the room to find a majority of it completely trashed. Pillows were on the ground, some furniture was shoved out of the way for Ed to keep up with little Jay, even Edna's iced tea on the table was knocked over and spilled. Just as Edna had walked in, Jay stopped, making Ed able to lift him into the air to keep him from trying to escape.

"Mama!" Jay reached out to his mother, while Ed looked behind him at the mess they had made. The anklebiter's father whistled, as Edna laughed at her two boys.

"Jay, let your father give you a bath. You've been in the junkyard all day today- you need to clean up."

"No!" Jay crossed his arms, giving a pouty face.

"Jay, come on. I'll let you have some cotton candy for dessert~"

And suddenly, Ed was holding thin air as the door to the bathroom closed.

"You're the best." Ed kissed his wife's cheek before going into the bathroom before Jay could hurt himself.

"Better take note of that!" Edna called after him.

"I don't have to because I already know!" That made Edna laugh a little as she began to clean up the mess made by her boys.

Right after dinner, Jay was served his beloved berry cotton candy. His parents made sure that it didn't get into his auburn hair, because they knew full well that they didn't want to give him another bath. They were tired enough as it was, but they were still happy.

-/

"No, wait, Angie!"

"What?" the blonde woman turned around so fast that she nearly bonked heads with David Julien.

"We could always adopt a kid if we can't-"

"David, face it." Angela glared at her ex-husband, her icy blue eyes sharp. "We will never be able to have a child, and we will never have the money to adopt one. That's it for us."

"So you're just gonna up and leave? Whatever happened to seeing the Northern Lights together?" That statement made Angela stop in her tracks.

"I guess we'll have to find other people to see the Northern Lights with." She stated in such a stoic manner, it was a powerful blow to the doctor. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman took her wedding ring off of her finger and tossed it at his feet. Instead of glowing blue like it usually did while on her finger (Dr. Julien invented the ring to make it that way), it turned a dull gray. Dr. Julien stared at the abandoned ring, the door opening and close in the background.

Suddenly, David looked upward to find his desk still there, all it's contents strewn about.

"We may not be able to make a child, but that doesn't mean I can't build one."

"Hello, Zane." David smiles down at the robot that looked much like a human, with his blond hair and icy blue eyes… The robot looked much like his ex-wife, and he built him so he could still have a child of his own, even though it was on his own. And just merely having a child like this… this made him happy.

-/

"Ray- urgh!" a feminine voice called through the household.

"Is something wrong, honey?" a more masculine voice replied, before he took another sip of the steaming hot tea from the cup in his hand.

"It's my stomach, it hurts!" the man's wife called back down, and the man did a spit take, soaking the day's newspaper through with dark tea and he put his cup down immediately, not caring that he spilled even more onto the newspaper. He didn't care about the daily news or his tea- he could always catch up the next day and make another cup, maybe two.

"Is everything all right, Maya?" Ray questions frantically as soon as he entered the room his wife was in. She was lying on the bed, on her side and curled into a bit of a fetal position. Well, the best she could get herself to be comfortable with, what with her enlarged belly.

"I don't know- my stomach feels like it's burning…" Maya groaned. "It hurts too much for me to be able to summon water to calm him down-"

"Here, let me feel." Ray approached the side of the bed that had black sheets to conserve the heat for them. He tossed some of them aside, and Maya shivered a little, as she was exposed to the cold of the winter night. Ray placed his hands on his wife's stomach and sure enough, it was hot. The black-haired man began to brainstorm as he released her stomach.

"Any ideas? Maybe your mom experienced this when she was pregnant with you?"

"I don't think I did this to her." Ray shook his head. "It wasn't til after I was born that my powers began to show up. It may be different for us since we are _both_ elemental masters." Ray turned back to his wife, his eyes meeting the bathroom door as he did so. "Hey, I think a nice, cool bath will help…" Ray began, going into the bathroom to begin running the cold water. He heard Maya groan again in the other room. Ray squirted in some of the bubble soap- he knew that a bath smelling like lilies was always Maya's favorite. Ray got out some extra towels, tossing them on the floor for the moment.

"Ray? You almost done in there?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Ray called back, checking to make sure everything was in order. "It'll take a few more minutes for the tub to fill up completely." He told his wife as he reentered the room. Maya grunted as she turned back onto her other side, pushing herself upright. Ray immediately goes over to help her up. "Here-"

"I'm fine, Ray- I got this!" Maya told him, making him jump back a little. Maya stood, but within a few steps, she fell forward, and Ray jumped in front of her in time to catch her.

"No, you don't, Maya." Ray sights, looking down at her. "Look, love, you're pregnant with our first-born. You have to take the help when you need it. I know you're uncomfortable with that, but it's a part of the package." Maya refused to make eye contact with him as he spoke- she knew full well what he was saying was true. "I love you and our child, whether it's a boy or girl. I will love you both as long as the fire in me burns." The pregnancy hormones took over, and Maya let go of a few tears. Ray led her to the bathroom, where he turned off the water just as it was a few inches from overflowing. "Look, get undressed and get in. I'll make some iced tea for you- your favorite." Maya only nods, releasing Ray's arm and grabbing hold of the sink. Her belly still burned, and she fought the chilly winter air as the door creaked closed. With a sigh, and another deep breath, Maya slid out of her pjs and into the bathtub. The cold never really bothered her much- mainly since it was the air molecules that floated around carried the cold liquid in them. But as soon as Maya slid into the bathtub, she began to shiver a bit. With the cold from the air, and the chilly water, she became a little cold. Yet, the heat of her belly kept her warm. As Ray thought it would, their baby calmed down. There was a knock on the door.

"You can come in, Ray." Maya let out a sigh of relief, as she got comfortable. She didn't want to leave this tub, even though it was extremely cold. The father of her child entered the room, holding one steaming cup of tea for him and another glass of iced tea for her. "This feels a bit better." she admitted.

"It does, doesn't it? You can tell your handsome hubby that he does good in taking care of his beautiful wife and child." Ray winked at her as he set the cups down on top of the toilet lid. He sat on the edge of the tub, pulling up his sleeves. "May I?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow. Maya nods, and Ray stuck his hands in, immediately catching Maya's baby bump. "I was thinking…" Ray began, as he stroked the bump, "maybe he or she's doing this because fate can't decide which of our powers they may have, you know? Like, maybe it's trying to see how well fire works within."

"That does seem plausible. I mean, there wasn't really much another couple in our situation." Maya shrugged, reaching up to take his hands. The wedded two met eyes and they both smiled, knowing everything was going to be okay… that they would be happy.

-/

"Hello there, my son.." Garmadon whispered out, holding a bundle of light blue blankets while his red eyes looked down at the newborn curled inside the blankets. Misako was asleep in the bed, and little Lloyd Garmadon opened his eyes for the first time. Misako got sick while pregnant and they had to go to the hospital early to ensure a successful birth.

And successful it was, and thankful was Garmadon for that.

The doctors did amazing, ensuring that the mother and the newborn were both healthy after the delivery, and now, Garmadon couldn't be happier.

Garmadon was now seated in one of the hospital chairs in Misako's room, the small crib they had rolled Lloyd in on now empty. Garmadon was watching over Lloyd until, well, until his wife woke up. Lloyd had blond hair, and his eyes were a dark blue. Garmadon knew that an infant's eye color would change as they grew- he hoped it would be the dark green of his mother.

Lloyd looked up at the man holding him curiously. To say Garmadon was surprised was an understatement. He expected his son to start crying once he saw his father's pale features and the bright red eyes glowing among them. But Lloyd didn't cry… instead, he just stared.

Garmadon sent his son a smile. He would work his hardest to surpass this venom, this evil coursing his veins, to give Lloyd the best life he could give him before the evil completely took over.

"Honey, all he does is stare at me."

"Well, he must realize that you are a little different than most people." Misako told him, her back to her husband who was holding their child while she cooked dinner. It was actually about seven months after birth, and Garmadon sighs. The two still wrapped Lloyd in some blankets before holding him, mainly because it was getting colder and colder outside as the days continued to pass for the oncoming winter.

"I've seen him smile at you." Garmadon mumbled, looking down at his son, who still stared at him, like he has been for the past seven months.

"Well…" Misako began, trying to come up with something clever to help her husband out, but she ended up with nothing.

"Has he begun to talk yet?"

"Mostly just babbling and gibberish- he's learning though." Misako placed a hot, hot mug of tea on the table. Garmadon, thinking it was cooled down, wrapped his fingers around the mug before yanking his hand back.

"Ow, that was hot!" Garmadon exclaimed, shaking his hand to rid it of the pain from the burn. Suddenly, there was laughing. "Stop laughing at me, Misako, this isn't funny!" Garmadon looked up to find Misako with a smile on her face.

"I'm not the one laughing. He is." Misako pointed to the baby in Garmadon's right arm with a warm smile, carefully cradled against his chest as well. When the older man looked down to find out for sure… sure enough, it was little Lloyd smiling and laughing at his father.

"Why you laughing at me, that hurt~" Garmadon feigned hurt, making the little boy laugh harder. To say this was the best day of Garmadon's entire life… was an overstatement. Today was more than the best day of his life. And it wasn't only today… it was the days little Lloyd was around, all those seven months. Garmadon had gone about ignoring the staring, occasionally muttering 'This is creepy.' But he didn't mind it at all. He still loved his son, no matter what his son thought of him. Garmadon and Misako were both happy with their small family.

(And not too long after that, did Lloyd say his first word... "pa pa.")

-/

"Ash!"

"Yeah, dad?"

"Can you come here for a minute!"

"Yeah, one moment-"

" _Now, Ash!"_

A four year old child jumped at the harshness of his father's voice. Knowing immediately that something might be wrong, little Ash Smith sped away from the kitchen where he was attempting to make himself something to eat, and to the bedroom where his parents were. His pregnant mother lied on the bed, and it was clear that she was sweating like crazy. Her heavy breathing made him panic.

"Dad, what's going on?"

"I want you to stay with your mother while I go get the doctor. Can you do that for me? Please?"

"Is it coming?"

"Yes, your little brother or sister are coming- we need to have a doctor so both your mother and your sibling are safe after this. Can you stay here with your mother?"

"Yeah." Ash nodded, before his father got up and turned away, sprinting out. Ash climbed up onto the bed with some difficulty. It was a little hard, but he eventually made it. "Mama?"

"Hello there, little fire." Maya, Ash's mother, sent her son a pained smile as she lied on her side, facing him. "Come here." She held a hand out.

"Are you okay?"

"Now that you're here, I am. You do know what's happening, right?"

"Yeah- he or she's coming. Does it hurt?"

"Very much, but you distract me from the pain, which is good." Ash sat on his knees, holding his mother's hand. He felt her grip it hard, making him wince before Maya let go. "Keep talking, I need you to distract me from it more."

"Uh-" Ash rushed to get a sentence. "Uh- what did you and papa decide to name him or her?"

"Well… we both think it's gonna be a girl, so, perhaps Nya."

"What if it's a boy?"

"Two of you is enough." Maya teased, heaving a few shaky breaths. "But if there happens to be a third… maybe Hanzo. Do _you_ have any names in mind?"

"If it's a girl, Cotton Candy- and if it's a boy, Snickers!" Maya laughs at that statement, and Ash grins. That wasn't _really_ what he had in mind, but it was helping her.

"Really?"

"Nah." Ash shook his head, making his slightly-long spiky brown hair bounce around.

"We need to give you a haircut."

"Don't cut off too much."

"I like your hair like that. Makes you look more like your father-" Maya let out a pained grunt. "Honey, is there a rag on my nightstand?"

"Uh…" Ash stood up a little to see there was a small bucket and a rag by the nightstand. "Yeah, why?"

"Get it for me, please." Maya released Ash's hand and shifted a little so she was facing the other side as Ash got down and got the rag, squeezing it a little to get the excess water off, before gently dabbing it on his mother's forehead. "Thank you." Maya sent Ash one last smile before the door opened and Ray walked back into the room, another man behind him.

"Ash, can you please wait in the hall?" Ray asks, looking down at his son as he passed.

"Is mama gonna be okay?"

"She will, don't worry. She's in good hands, kiddo." The doctor spared a glance and a smile back at Ash before he trudged into the hall. "If we need you for something, we'll let you know. For now, we need you to leave the room."

Reluctantly, Ash trudged out, closing the door behind him. He sat in the hallway, looking up at the clock. He couldn't tell time yet, but he guessed it was pretty late at night, how the shorter pointer was closer to the 12 and it was so dark outside. Ash let go of a yawn, before lying down and falling asleep, tuning out his mother's screams. As painful as they were to hear- little Ash knew his mother. A strong, strong woman like her will be alright. I mean, she gave birth to him, didn't she? And look at him now.

It wasn't until the next morning, a little early too, that Ash woke. He was in his bed with the sheets pulled up to just below his chin. The brunet was still in his clothes from the previous night, and he noticed there was no more screaming from his mother. He didn't know what that meant.

Ash threw the covers off of the bed and he jumped to the hardwood floor, making a soft thud. As soon as he entered his parents' room, he noticed a small basket in the corner of the room. Filled with curiosity, Ash crept over. He was just about tall enough to peek inside, and his arms and hands were also small enough to squeeze through the bars.

Just inside the crib was a small being, asleep and leaning to one side a little. A small tuft of black hair was atop her head, and Ash smiles. He shifted his weight to one foot, making the floor creak loudly. Ash immediately panicked and looked back his parents, but they were both still asleep, cuddled up into one another's arms. But when he looked back at his newborn sister… she began to gasp and awaken. The little boy knew from experience (from a neighbor that had a child a few years back) that if you awaken a baby when they don't want to be awakened, they will cry. A lot. And very loud too.

Ash acted quickly, squeezing his hand through two bars and taking his sister's very small hand compared to his. With a firm grip from the smaller child, said child calmed down. Ash sighs in relief, with a smile on his small face. He was happy, and he knew his parents were.

-/

"I miss being a kid." Kai spoke out of nowhere. He had remembered the memory of calming Nya as she was a baby.

"Really? I thought you didn't even grow up." Zane stated plainly, making everyone else crack up.

"That was a good one, Zane!" Jay exclaimed in his usual loud voice through the laughs. Lloyd agreed with a nod and silent laughing.

"No, guys, I'm being serious." Kai came out of his minor shock because _damn_ , he got _roasted_ and he was the freaking _fire ninja._

"That was a good burn!" Cole added in, everyone just absolutely ignoring Kai.

"Burn? Does he need ice for that?"

"Oh my God, _Zane!"_ Nya squealed, tears coming out of her eyes as she kept laughing.

The six were just hanging out in the bridge, all recalling memories from the past, when Kai had gone deeper than he had wanted. The spiky haired young man looked to Lloyd for help, who couldn't resist his puppy dog eyes, and suddenly, the blond became sober of the laughs and he then realized that he didn't have much of a childhood, what with the Tomorrow's Tea and all.

"I do sometimes regret giving up my childhood for the safety of the world." Lloyd spoke over the laughs of his brothers and sister.

"I sometimes wonder what my childhood would have been like if I had one."

"I'm sure you did, Zane. You were probably a kid, until you grew and grew- mentally, of course." Nya reassured, the whole team having calmed down from the moment before.

"Well, I _did_ see a memory in which I was learning to walk. I'm assuming it counts." Zane shrugs, turning from the coffee machine and handing Cole the black coffee like he had asked Zane to grab for him.

"Thanks." Cole sent Zane a smile before taking a sip. He took a deep breath. "I never knew my mom. Dad said she died after my birth, but I think he was covering up what really happened. It's like he doesn't even know himself. Like, she probably left us, and Dad doesn't know why or what he did to make her leave… you see my point?" Cole raised an eyebrow, tired of explaining and hoping everyone saw what he was saying. When he was answered with another few nods, he took another sip of his coffee before placing down the mug.

"I don't remember much of my birth parents, but I do remember more of my adoptive parents. They always told me stories about how they had absolutely no clue what they were doing most of the time." Jay laughs at the memory. "I remember switching my dad's toothpaste into his shampoo bottle and the toothpaste into the shampoo bottle, all as a prank when I was 12. He said the toothpaste was hard to get out-"

"You just gave me an idea for my next prank and for my next victim. Thanks." Lloyd winked, sending Jay a grin.

"On a completely unreleated note, you still haven't taught us the art of kissing pillows-"

" _Not right now, Zane!"_

As the ninja's laughs continued to echo around the Bounty (and a little out the window), Sensei smiles as he hears them from afar.

Although they were once children, they still hold the happiness that children hold. They hold hope for the children of the future.

 _"As iron sharpens iron... sibling sharpens sibling..."_

 **Well, that's all there is…**

 **Happy belated birthday, Toni, and I'm so sorry for this coming out late!**

 **Thank you everyone so much for reading, and I will see YOU all, in the next chapter…**

 **CIAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**


End file.
